Click a Flock Together

F. Martin Ramin/The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Click a Flock Together

Want to adopt a colorful array of birds without having to cage them? Let these Lego versions of a Blue Jay, European Robin and Hummingbird perch freely on your mantle. This kit includes the 580 pieces required to create the three rather stiffly feathered friends shown here (as well as a flower with articulating petals), each of which is 5 to 7 inches tall with the included stands. Recommended for ages 12 and up, this kit is complex enough to be a challenge for bird-loving adults, too. Lego Birds, $45, shop.lego.com —Erik Sofge

Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast

Charissa Fay for Wall Street Journal

Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast

Only good things can happen when you start your day as certain early birds do at Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream on New York's Lower East Side: with a scoop of the sweet stuff plus, as owner Nick Morgenstern describes it, an "I'm eating ice cream for breakfast and I don't give a you-know-what" attitude. Along with milk shakes and a breakfast sundae, Morgenstern's offers avocado ice cream on toast drizzled with olive oil and condensed milk, a dish inspired in part by the Sicilian breakfast classic brioche con gelato. For the latter I go to Villabate Alba, a third-generation bakery in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. There, you can belly up to the bar, order a cappuccino and have a fresh baked, barely sweet brioche roll sliced open and stuffed with gelato (pictured). The preceding sentence basically provides the recipe, so do try this at home some spring morning. Your breakfast date will be duly impressed. —Matthew Kronsberg

Snap a Keepsake Instant Pic

F. Martin Ramin/The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Snap a Keepsake Instant Pic

When photographing a beloved (whether person, place, pet or thing), sometimes you want a more tangible keepsake than a digital image provides. For such shots, consider swapping out your smartphone for this toylike instant camera. Snap its shutter and a second or two later a wallet-size print pops out of the side; you even get the suspense of waiting for the photo to fade magically into view. Instead of relying on digital filters to imbue photos with a sense of warmth and wistfulness, this camera uses optics. Three lens attachments (fisheye, portrait and close-up) encourage you to experiment and ultimately stumble upon a charming, retro-style snapshot. You also get an assortment of gel filters to place over the lens should you want to drench the image in a specific glorious color. Lomo’Instant Boston Edition, $169, lomography.com —Eric Sofge

Old Flame | Truman Capote

Old Flame | Truman Capote

Author, 1924-1984

"When first we leased Fontana Vecchia—this was in the spring, April—thevalley was high with wheat green as the lizards racing among its stalks. It begins in January, the Sicilian spring,, and accumulates into a kingly bouquet, a wizard’s garden…."

Love of My Life | My April Closet Refresh

Malika Favre

Love of My Life | My April Closet Refresh

In Los Angeles, where I grew up, moving in and out of winter requires little more than pushing a couple of light jackets back and forth on a closet rack and juggling the lineup of tights in one’s sock drawer.

In Milan, where I live now, the drastic temperature changes (it can snow in the winter and almost always gets scorching in the summer) require a total wardrobe switch out. New York, where I used to live, has the same yo-yo weather, but I've found that no one contemplates the seasonal wardrobe change with as much ceremonial weight and stylish flair as the Italians.
Known as the cambio di stagione,, the flip-flop of clothes featured in one's primary closet is a biannual ritual—one I've come to love—that is treated with grave attention in every household in Milan, no matter how grand or modest. Starting around Easter, closets are opened up, inspected, cleared out, cleaned from top to bottom and swapped with merch from another dedicated closet. Clothing is ruthlessly scrutinized and put in order: Dirty items go to the dry cleaner, wrinkled items go to the housekeeper's ironing pile, out-of-season items get put to bed in their sleeping quarters for the next six months.

I learned this domestic protocol—which involves at least a full-day commitment—from watching my sophisticated Italian friends and their proper mothers. Even my architect, who was impractical in nearly every other matter, insisted we build a dedicated space in my apartment to accommodate the cambio di stagione.

I'm infinitely grateful that he did. I recently opened my cambio di stagione closet and got blinded by an explosion of color and a riot of print and pattern that I hadn't seen in months. It was instantly mood-enhancing. And while the changeover may be taxing, the manual labor is oddly satisfying. I've found my mind gets aired out along with the closets, and I’m left with a clean, new start for spring. —J.J. Martin

Meet the Whitney in the Meatpacking District

Douglas Lyle Thompson for The Wall Street Journal

Meet the Whitney in the Meatpacking District

The transformation of Manhattan's lower reaches continues as the Whitney Museum of American Art—which has had an Upper East Side address since 1966—moves into its new Renzo Piano-designed Meatpacking District home on May 1, seriously upping the art quotient of a neighborhood that already packs a lot more galleries than meat. Its first exhibition,"America Is Hard to See," presents about 650 works from the Whitney’s permanent collection from 1900 to today. Eyestrain? Gaze out the windows at the Hudson to the west and the High Line to the east—or relax in some of the 13,000 square feet of outdoor space. whitney.org —Anna Maltby

Pack a Better Basket

F. Martin Ramin/The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Pack a Better Basket

When it came to writing "The Picnic: Recipes and Inspiration from Basket to Blanket" (Artisan, $20),, Marnie Hanel, Andrea Slonecker and Jen Stevenson drew on years of experience as founders of the Portland [Ore.] Picnic Society. They take al fresco fun seriously—think fresh-shucked oysters on a Pendleton blanket or stacked tiffin boxes layered with multiple varieties of deviled egg.

Picnic lovers will find guidance on everything from selecting a rosé to transporting the feast, as well as recipes ranging from jarred salads to chicken liver mousse with Lillet gellée, plus heartier fare like tea-brined fried chicken, and an array of sweets. Even the book's gingham-ribbon bookmark reminds us that details count. —Lucy Burningham

Old Flame | Elsie de Wolfe

Old Flame | Elsie de Wolfe

Decorator, 1865-1950

"Probably when another woman would be dreaming of love affairs, I dream of the delightful houses I have lived in. I think that is why some people like my rooms—they feel, without quite knowing why, that I have loved them while making them."

Lust Object | A Scarf With an Exotic Pedigree

F. Martin Ramin/The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Lust Object | A Scarf With an Exotic Pedigree

It takes weeks for the artisans around Inle Lake in Myanmar to convert the silky filaments inside stems of the lotus flowers into a few meters of thread. But the resulting weave—fine as silk, cooler than linen and naturally wrinkle-resistant—is so treasured it was once used solely for monks' robes. Now Piana is making scarves that blend the delicate lotus yarn with silk and cashmere for a product that’s warm, light and very soft. It's the only western company to offer it.Why you may need to love it from afar: The labor-intensive process severely limits output. There are only about 50 scarves currently available in the U.S. Lotus Flower and Cashmere Scarf, $2,550, loropiana.com

Welcome Wet Feet

F. Martin Ramin/The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Welcome Wet Feet

Whether you're walking along a shore with wavelets dousing your toes, whitewater rafting down the Colorado River or just braving a crowded farmers' market to satisfy a pickle craving in the rain, these water-friendly shoes from Adidas are a practical option. Instead of attempting to repel water, they invite moisture in but then efficiently channel and wick it away. Their rubber outsoles offer superior traction on slick, slippery surfaces (like a boat deck) while 13 ports in each sole allow water to drain through, making these ideal for water-intensive activities like rock-hopping and tubing. The stretch mesh uppers are quick to dry, and the foam tongue and heel provide a molded fit yet don’t absorb moisture. Best, these kicks are stylish enough to pass for a classic pair of Adidas sneakers—one particularly appropriate for spring days. Adidas Outdoor ClimaCool Boat Pure, $75, adidas.com —Eric Sofge

Hold Hands With a Crisp, White Tote

F. Martin Ramin/The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Hold Hands With a Crisp, White Tote

The checklist for a spring bag isn't too demanding: not overly structured, big enough to occasionally stow green-market hyacinths or weekend gear and chic enough for the office. And yet, it's hard to find something worthy of your affections. The Row's Market Tote may change that. It elevates the casual charms of a Provençal straw basket in white leather with details like braided handles and a trim of perfect little knots. City or country? Both. $3,900, barneys.com

Love of My Life | My Bloom Heaven

Malika Favre

Love of My Life | My Bloom Heaven

I was four years old when my family moved from Wisconsin to Holland. We arrived in the dead of a Lowlands winter, the kind of blizzard-whipped December you only see on Christmas cards and in Bruegel paintings. The canals were glazed with ice and the gabled houses wore a cap of snow. But then the big April thaw came and suddenly everything was splashed with candy colors. The tulip fields south of Amsterdam ran in ribbons of red and yellow, bumping up against the sky, and our Dutch neighbors wheeled out on their bikes, one hand steering, the other holding a bouquet of flowers.

That ripe world was my first vision of pure, seamless beauty. My second was the flower parade—the Bloemencorso van de Bollenstreek—that rolls through the Dutch countryside for two days every April (the 24th and 25th, this year). Epic enough to make Pasadena's Rose Parade look weedy, the procession of flower-heaped floats—titanic peacocks, towering windmills and every sort of fantasia—rumbles 26 miles through the blooming fields, from Noordwijk to Haarlem. My parents, determined to show us everything, carried my sister and me into the crowd of spectators in Haarlem. At first we only heard a rumble filling the central square. But then the floats rounded the corner, an explosion of tulips and hyacinths. After they passed, the cobbled streets were dusted with petals, so the whole town seemed paved by flowers.

The flower parade started in 1947, not long after the end of World War II, when the Dutch needed proof that things would blossom again. The flowers themselves are part of the Dutch DNA—particularly the tulips. They fueled the 17th-century tulip mania, when burghers swapped whole tracts of land for one prized hybrid. It was the tulip bulb that literally fed the starving Dutch during the last months of the war and it is the tulip that appears like a horticultural pinup in every second old master painting. While other European artists were churning out visions of heaven and hell, the Dutch were painting the sensual beauty of this earthy world. Heaven for them was always the rope of pearls, the ripest melon and the deepest plum-colored, flame-tipped tulip.

From the start, the Bloemencorso wasn't just an emblem of seasonal renewal but the promise of a national rebirth, a larger, collective spring after a very long winter. My own recent winter was punctuated by the death of my mother, and then my father. I’m planning to return to Holland this month, and to try to find the house where we lived that year. And then, I think, I will go to Haarlem, and wait for the parade to round a corner, trailing blossoms, laying down a carpet of hopeful petals. —Raphael Kadushin

Love/Hate Relationship: Wooden Clogs

F. Martin Ramin/The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Love/Hate Relationship: Wooden Clogs

Why we hate them: There's a reason the Dutch have demoted their traditional wooden shoes to mere souvenir status. On the surface, any material used to build houses isn't one you'd logically use to craft footwear. (Jimmy Choo doesn't craft a lot of strappy sandals with bricks.) We are reminded of this truth every time we wear a pair of clogs and smack ourselves in the ankle (ouch) with the heel of the other foot.

Why we love them: Our current love affair with groovy '70s style—so in vogue now—easily trumps the occasional shooting pain. And as the weather warms up, the cool earthiness of clogs will be the only thing that makes any sense to wear with our floaty dresses and flared jeans. Plus, what else are you going to sport? A gladiator sandal that straps all the way up to your knees? Now that's just crazy.

Carry on Like a Lady

F. Martin Ramin/The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Carry on Like a Lady

Business traveler Sonja Salmon was tired of having to choose between basic black and tacky polka dots in the luggage department, so she created the Ebby Rane Quartermaster, a hard-sided carry-on with four spinner wheels and 10 removable nylon pouches to organize shoes, jewelry, makeup and other packables. The suitcase comes in white, black and army green, each with a strip of buttery brown leather down the front. You can add on an envelope-shaped leather clutch that slips inside the suitcase, so you’ll always be appropriately accessorized. Quartermaster, $825, and Quartermaster with clutch, $995; ebbyrane.com —Anna Maltby

Throw Some Space-Age Shade

F. Martin Ramin/The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Throw Some Space-Age Shade

Westward Leaning might make sunglasses, but these days they're more enamored of the earth than the sun. Their new Project Vanguard shades are an homage to America's first satellite program. Launched in March 1958 (four months before NASA was established), the Vanguard 1 satellite gathered data about our planet and still orbits it today. The browline frames nod to the dominant sunglass style of '58, and—who knows—they could be in your eyewear rotation 50 years from now. Vanguard 4 Lenses, $225, westwardleaning.com

Get Decked Out

F. Martin Ramin/The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Get Decked Out

Like a lighthouse to a weary sailor, Sperry's radiant new suede Top-Siders are a welcome sight for those of us who are ready to retire our winter boots. Every man worth his sea salt has slipped into a pair of Sperry's Authentic Original boat shoes at some point in his life, but we can guarantee they've never looked quite like this. Available in electric green, ocean blue (pictured) and fire-engine red, they’re docked at Sperry stores now to help you cruise into spring. $88, sperry.com

Old Flame | Henry Ford

Old Flame | Henry Ford

Industrialist, 1863-1947

"I, too, like birds. I like the outdoors. I like to walk across country and jump fences. We have 500 bird houses on the farm. We call them our bird hotels, and one of them, the Hotel Pontchartrain—a martin house—has 76 apartments."

Now is the season for camping cuisine, the more ambitious the better. Start with this recipe for campfire wings with Alabama-style white barbecue sauce—which comes to the campsite fully prepped and ready to cook

Love/Hate Relationship: Twitter's Periscope App

Peter Oumanski

Love/Hate Relationship: Twitter's Periscope App

Why we hate it: Oh, how we long for the days when a vacation was seen as a do-nothing time and not a chance to bag more Twitter or Instagram followers with our filtered and fussed-over photos of meals, ocean views starring our feet, and bath towels folded into swans. Periscope has just made oversharing even easier by letting us live-stream video straight to our Twitter feed. Now we not only get to see what our friends are eating on their travels, but we get to see—and hear—them eating it. In real time.

Why we love it: Are you kidding? Now that we can broadcast room-to-room tours of our ryokan in Kyoto, our kid's first encounter with Piccadilly Circus street performers and the parade of bikinis on Ipanema Beach, we can't download this free app fast enough. Instagram is so Stone Age!

Lust Object | The Ultimate Frozen Safari

Michelle Valberg/Arctic Kingdom

Lust Object | The Ultimate Frozen Safari

For a safari of a very different stripe, head north—way north—to the floe edge of the Arctic Ocean on Canada’s Baffin Island, where polar bears, seals, bowhead whales and sharp-tusked narwhals (aka "the unicorns of the sea," pictured) gather to feed in spring. Arctic Kingdom leads small groups to this remote, mountainous region, where guests can hike, snowmobile, kayak and even snorkel, staying in a yurt-style camp just outside Sirmilik National Park. Why you may need to love it from afar: At about $11,000 per person for seven nights, you'll have to cough up the cost of a Chevy Malibu for two of you. But hitchhiking is a small price to pay for a week this wild (arctickingdom.com).

Drink Like It's the Middle Ages

F. Martin Ramin/The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Drink Like It's the Middle Ages

Brewers are never short of surprising new ideas, but sometimes the past provides even odder fodder for experimentation. Take gose, a medieval style making a curious comeback—at just the right time. Mercurial spring weather calls for versatile refreshment, and gose's mixed-up flavors fit perfectly: bracing tartness from lactobacillus bacteria, light body from soft wheat and a smooth, salty finish. This beer's German birthplace is known for its mineral-rich groundwater, but today's brewers add the salt themselves, and many don't stop there, bringing in, say, hibiscus for extra sharpness, or coriander to brighten the brine. This is refreshment fit for lion or lamb. —William Bostwick

Amp Up a Noguchi-Style Lamp

F. Martin Ramin/The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Amp Up a Noguchi-Style Lamp

The name of designer Pascale Daniel's studio, Paris au mois d’août, may translate as "Paris in August," but the vibe is more Santa Monica in the spring. Ms. Daniel, who, indeed, is based in Paris, is a former songwriter who wrote lyrics for French pop star Françoise Hardy and recorded a solo album in Sweden before launching her line of boho-zen lighting. Inspired by Isamu Noguchi's 1950s Akari paper lanterns, these floating pendants are made of whisper-thin khadi fabrics woven by Bangladeshi artisans and then block- or screen-printed with Ms. Daniel's hand-drawn patterns and stretched over bamboo frames. This month, they debuted at Lost & Found, the southern California boutique started by kindred spirit Jamie Rosenthal, also known for a rustic yet modern style. UFO Lights, from $285, lostandfoundshop.com —Jessica Romm Perez

Love of My Life | The Annual Belt Loosening

Malika Favre

Love of My Life | The Annual Belt Loosening

In New York, where I live and run a restaurant, the body is a religion and the local gym is its church. And that’s why I love spring.

By now, New Year’s resolutions are either under control or completely forgotten. Bikini season, the city’s version of Lent—"I'm giving up bread, cheese and joy this year"—lies far in the future. In spring women loosen their belts, men remove their Spanx and everyone decides to just enjoy themselves and eat.

Restaurant cooking is all about timing. There's the timing during service when your whole brigade is working by ESP and you reach for freshly chopped chayote without even looking because you know it’s going to be there. There’s the timing of a night when your servers are setting your customers up just right so that the food comes out at the perfect moments in their meal. Then there's the timing of seasons, when people's appetites line up precisely with the kind of food you serve, and all you have to do is make yourself as invisible as possible so nothing gets between your customers and their cravings. You’re less of a chef and more of a meal midwife, dispensing shots of bourbon and helping a natural process along. Vegetables are what comes naturally now, when we’re exhausted after months of bone broth and want subtler flavors that linger like perfume.

Of course, I cook vegetables all year long. I'll give you hearty, life-sustaining beets in winter and squashes as smoky and rich as the smell of burning leaves in autumn; when it’s summer I’ll cool you down with cucumbers. But spring is my Mardi Gras, the time when diners are hungry for everything I place before them. Never mind about tomorrow; tonight they're having a party. —Amanda Cohen, chef-owner of Dirt Candy

Power Gadgets With Sunlight

F. Martin Ramin/The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Power Gadgets With Sunlight

Recharging your phone on the go with a portable battery is one of life's great conveniences. But keeping that battery charged using nothing but sunlight takes things to another level. This 5000-mAh version has a trio of solar panels that conveniently fold open as needed. Just leave the device splayed in direct sunlight as you picnic or drive, and 90 minutes later, you'll have enough juice to recharge a smartphone. (Refilling the entire reserve battery took about 5 hours.) Solpro Helios Smart, $99, solpro.com —Eric Sofge

Lust Object | Speakers With a Rose-Gold Glow

F. Martin Ramin/The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Lust Object | Speakers With a Rose-Gold Glow

The original BeoLab 18 speaker from Bang & Olufsen was already at the forefront of its field, both visually and acoustically. But with this ethereal upgrade, rendered in rose-gold aluminum and walnut wood, the classic gets a limited-edition makeover. Design aside, these speakers have key advantages. They can be used wirelessly (only a power cable is required for each) and wall mounted. Audiophiles, meanwhile, will appreciate the speakers' expansive sound. Each one houses two 160-watt amplifiers (one of which powers a pair of 4-inch bass drivers) and is designed to disperse sound in a 180-degree arc. No doubt, this is one of the few speaker sets that looks as warm as it sounds. Why you may need to love them from afar: The company isn't revealing how long these will be available, but the run is finite. If your audio-junkie’s heart is palpitating, don't delay. The Love Affair Collection BeoLab 18, $9,100 per pair, bang-olufsen.com

Attract an Opposite

F. Martin Ramin/The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Attract an Opposite

In decorating, as in the mysterious ways of Match.com, an incongruous pairing can sometimes produce the biggest spark. One unlikely duo we're loving this spring: traditional candlesticks made less stuffy with neon candles. Holders from Belgian crystal maker Val Saint Lambert, for instance, get jauntier when filled with hot-pink tapers. Hand-painted Royal Delft provides unexpected pop when juxtaposed with electric-blue or hot-orange wax. (We're particularly taken by the fluorescent green sherbet-hued candles from British brand True Grace.) "It's a great way to incorporate fun into your table, and it requires only a semi-permanent commitment to color," said Lindsey Schwartz, creative director of Curated by St. Charles of New York. Meanwhile, Bridie Hall, co-owner of the London décor shop Pentreath & Hall, likes pairing the bright dinner candles from Bougies La Française with silver or brass holders in a classic column shape. "The more traditional the better," she said. —Alexa Brazilian

Love/Hate Relationship: Ever Thinner Gadgets

Love/Hate Relationship: Ever Thinner Gadgets

Why we hate them: It seems every new smartphone, laptop and TV is touted as being even slimmer than what came before—if only by fractions of an inch. But skinnier profiles skimp on batteries, ports and speakers. Case in point: This spring's Apple MacBook (pictured) is 0.16 inches thinner than the current 13-inch MacBook Air—but its battery is rated to last a whopping three hours less.

Why we love them: Wafer-thin gear looks sexier—but there are practical benefits, too. Slimmer screens on our phones, tablets and laptops use less glass, reducing glare and making them more legible. Wafer-thin phones are also easier to hold and slip into jeans without making it look like you have an upper-thigh growth. Bonus: Smaller gadgets mean less e-bulk to pile up in a landfill someday. —Geoffrey A. Fowler

Pour Your Scalp a Shot

F. Martin Ramin/The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Pour Your Scalp a Shot

The most interesting new cocktail can't be found at a bar. Blind Barber, New York's barbershop-cum-speakeasy, is introducing a Lemongrass Tea shampoo and conditioner that’s spiked with a "Spirits Blend" of rum, bourbon and gin ingredients to strip away buildup. The boozy combo is designed to liven your locks, minus the hangover. It's strictly for your scalp (well, the shampoo doubles as a body wash) so please resist the temptation to drink your new hair products. $18 each, blindbarber.com

Lust Object | A Gehry of One's Own

University of St. Thomas

Lust Object | A Gehry of One's Own

It's not often that a bona fide Frank Gehry gets slapped with a "For Sale" sign. But that's the case with the architect's Winton Guest House (pictured), currently sitting in Owatonna, Minn., after it was donated to the University of St. Thomas in 2007. Built in 1987, the 2,300-square-foot structure has six distinct geometric shapes jigsaw-ed together, anticipating the billowing facade of Mr. Gehry's Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. Richard Wright, president of the auction house that is handling the sale on May 19, said the house is as inspired within as without: a 35-foot-tall central atrium tower forms a cathedral-like cone punctuated with skylights; in the squat brick alcove, intimate built-in banquettes adjoin a single square peephole window. Elsewhere, windows pop up in all sorts of odd places. Climb the loft's plywood staircase to a small crow's nest, and you can gaze out over the rest of the building—a bedroom curved and covered in dolomite limestone and the pyramid tower in black-painted metal. "You experience the structure from inside," said Mr. Wright. Why you may need to love it from afar: The asking price of $1-1.5 million is merely the starting point: The buyer will also be tasked with transporting the structure to a new location. The first time it was moved, from its original location on a 12-acre plot near Lake Minnetonka, the structure was broken up into 10 sections, then hauled under the cover of darkness to minimize traffic concerns. It's estimated that costs for restoration could exceed upward of six figures. All that for a guesthouse? "You could live in it permanently," said Mr. Wright. "But that wasn’t the point. The reason to buy it is to look at it." $1-1.5 million (estimated), wright20.com

Consort With a Curvy Dane

F. Martin Ramin/The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Consort With a Curvy Dane

Porch columns are rarely considered sexy. But in the latest of an ongoing series of vases, Danish ceramics star Turi Heisselberg Pedersen abstracted the Neoclassical architecture of her hometown Copenhagen—specifically the balustrades of carved wood or stone on porches and stairways—into rhythmic curves that evoke a budding sensuousness. Set to debut in May at the Collective Design Fair in New York, the spindle vases have a matte surface with the porous texture of sandstone. The hues—pale green, yellow and pink—are appropriately springlike, suggesting nascent blossoms and leaves before their darker summer pigments have developed. You can almost smell fresh, damp earth. Turi Heisselberg Pedersen Balustrade Vases, $3,800 each, J. Lohmann Gallery, 212-734-1445 —Meredith Mendelsohn

Love/Hate Relationship: The Seasonal Clamor for Ramps

Corbis

Love/Hate Relationship: The Seasonal Clamor for Ramps

Why we hate them: Ramps have been in my burn book for years now, ever since I interned in a restaurant kitchen and got saddled with ramp duty. Come April, those wild baby leeks arrived by the thousand, each needing to be peeled, trimmed, soaked and rinsed before transforming into ramp pesto, ramp confit, ramp ragout and the like. Unfortunately for prep cooks everywhere, ramps have proven a particularly durable "it" ingredient with the seasonally driven restaurant set. I find it hard to believe this is due to their flavor, which is similar to scallions—a vegetable with about as much sex appeal as, well, a scallion.

Why we love them: Like that first glimpse of shirt sleeves or daffodil shoots, the sight of ramps on a menu signals that the blustery, slush-soaked months are finally behind us. And your heart feels light. And suddenly, it's impossible not to love them just a little bit. —Elizabeth G. Dunn

Love of My Life | A Romance With High Contrast

Malika Favre

Love of My Life | A Romance With High Contrast

When my wife and I were deciding where to have our wedding ceremony, the solution was as simple as black and white: We would have it on the wraparound balcony of Room 64, at Chateau Marmont, the proudly louche Sunset Boulevard hotel.

It wasn't because of the eucalyptus air of civilized debauchery or Old Hollywood glamour. We were drawn to the suite's dramatic foyer corridor, lined with a classic black-and-white marble checkerboard floor. It looked so smart, so timelessly chic, so apt for a big entrance, rolling out from the doorway to a striped canopied terrace and corresponding view of sepia-toned Los Angeles. It was the visual drumroll to our vows.

I confess I've always found the black-and-white checkerboard look aspirational. My obsession with these floors, as crisp as a spring day, began when I was a child, playing on them in the tony Main Line Philadelphia confines of affluent grade school friends. We'd race our pet turtles and stage toy soldier sieges across their stark geometries. After I moved to New York, I was drawn to night spots that carried the torch, such as Manhattan's Café Society-like Indochine restaurant, where the black-and-white marble floors played nice with its palm-frond wallpaper and effortlessly sophisticated patronage. You could almost hear "As Time Goes By" lilting through the rooms.

The pattern has a distinguished past: It's helped give a rarefied air to such historic temples to taste as Dorothy Draper's Greenbrier in West Virginia, the Art Deco-style Beaumont Hotel in London and a whole host of Hollywood Regency mansions and Palm Beach villas.

Interior designer Maureen Footer, author of a book on decorator George Stacey (who ushered the harlequin floor out of the palazzo and into Park Avenue), said there are no boundaries to where these floors can set a mood: patios, courtyards, galleries, decks, foyers, sunrooms. "They’re cool and stately," said Ms. Footer. "That's where their appeal really begins. They carry this graphic drama about them that is incredibly chic."

These floors are tough, too. "They're more practical and durable than you would think," Ms. Footer said. "The marble or granite varieties are practically indestructible. And I would't sniff too loudly over using linoleum," she said, adding that Ms. Draper often did, "to smashing effect."

Another devotee of black-and-white checkerboard floors is New York designer Miles Redd, who has made the look something of a signature in his own work. "Black and white is the ultimate graphic backdrop," he said. "As a floor pattern, it goes great with almost any color. I particularly love them with a deep indigo or turquoise." Mr. Redd prefers to hand-paint the squares on wood floors, an effect he has rendered in homes from Houston to the Upper East Side. He built his own 1,500-square-foot patio in downtown Manhattan with simple decking that was painted over in matte black and white.

Though they enliven service areas like kitchens and bathrooms, Mr. Redd is not above going with the obvious location. "I’m still forever using them for entrance halls," he said. "They outline and delineate them." If you find the classic square too constraining, there are endless variations: squares within squares, squares with the corners clipped off, zigzags, rhombus configurations and patterns that might have been mapped out by M.C. Escher, with interlocking optical effects, wavy shapes and kaleidoscopic spirals.

My wife and I, now living in New Orleans, have finally taken our own baby steps into the black-and-white matrix, laying out a checkered floor in our Uptown bathroom to go with the claw-foot tub and tongue-and-groove walls. A once-dark chamber is becoming one that's cool and full of light. —Steve Garbarino

Love/Hate Relationship: Putting Birds on It

Love/Hate Relationship: Putting Birds on It

Why we hate it: The phrase "put a bird on it" has been a punch line since the sketch-comedy show "Portlandia" skewered the twee aesthetic that slaps oversimplified, avian-themed silhouettes on everything from wallpaper and pillow shams to soap dispensers. New York interior designer Russell Piccione, who loves the beautiful plumage of peacocks, abhors today's vogue for any old wren or starling perched outside your window. "It's not about fantasy," he said. "It's about making you think you're not missing anything while you're plugged into your device." These nuance-free bird motifs might as well be the Twitter logo.

Why we love it: Properly rendered, bird motifs defy mockery. They can be beautiful, exotic or graceful—not to mention symbolic of cherished themes, from peace (dove) and wisdom (owl) to renewal (phoenix). Can you say all that about a fish or a dog? For interior designer Fawn Galli, the appeal is about enchantment. "The mystery of flight is so seductive," she said. Think of the bronze birds of François-Xavier Lalanne or the delicate porcelain birds and branches of contemporary designer David Wiseman. Or consider this flighty chandelier (pictured). "Just don’t use too many," cautioned Ms. Galli. —Meredith Mendelsohn

Lust Object | Pro-Grade Pizza in Your Own Backyard

Lust Object | Pro-Grade Pizza in Your Own Backyard

This gas-fired outdoor pizza oven from Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet replicates the results of a wood-burning rig in a much smaller footprint. Temperatures reach a scorching 800 degrees via two burners, each with a dial for individual heat control. Plus, a custom-fitted work station keeps everything a weekend pizzaiolo might require within easy reach. Why you may need to love it from afar: The wait time for this hand-welded, hand-finished object runs up to 7 weeks. And at north of $15,000, it's a slightly bigger commitment than a toaster. But if you're ready to invest the time and money, you'll surely be the most popular host of the season. Kalamazoo Artisan Fire Outdoor Pizza Oven and Pizza Station, $15,090, williams-sonoma.com

Make the Cut

F. Martin Ramin/The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Make the Cut

Compact and razor sharp, this carbon and stainless steel foraging knife from Italian bladesmiths Coltellerie Berti is our pick for harvesting spring veggies in the wild. Based on an 18th-century farm tool, it performs just as well in your garden beds as it does in the depths of the forest. And of course the blade flips back into the handle for easy in-pocket transport between your top-secret morels spot and the patch where you get your ramps. Coltellerie Berti Foraging Knife for Match, $144, food52.com—Kelly Michèle Guerotto

Lounge Long After the Sun Also Rises

Lounge Long After the Sun Also Rises

"Papa" never slept on a bed like this. But that didn't stop French designer Gwenaël Nicolas from sumptuously reimagining the sort of humble camping cot Ernest Hemingway might have dozed on during an African sojourn. In this daybed for Louis Vuitton's Objets Nomades collection, cheap fabric has been swapped for sturdy quilted canvas and trimmed with caramel leather, set over oak legs inspired by the arched profile of the brand’s Keepall leather duffel. The result? A bed worthy of a "great voyager," said Mr. Nicolas. Ernest Bed, price upon request, Louis Vuitton, 866-884-8866 —Kelly Michèle Guerotto

Old Flame | Alice B. Toklas

Old Flame | Alice B. Toklas

Cookbook author and literary muse, 1877-1967

"It takes a long time to gather enough very young string beans for eight or ten people. Between the vegetable garden and the rose garden my mornings were happily occupied. To me this pleasure is unequalled."

Practice Five-Star Buddhism

Shakti Himalaya

Practice Five-Star Buddhism

The remote, mountainous, northern Indian region of Ladakh has long been a dream destination for backpackers but less of a temptation for luxury-lovers, who've stayed away because meals and accommodations were just a tad rough. Now Shakti Himalaya is giving travelers who want a little style with their substance the chance to enjoy Ladakh's spring display of apricot blossoms, snow-capped peaks and colorful Tibetan festivals held to welcome the warm weather. Shakti has converted seven traditional village homes into supremely comfortable lodgings that still retain their authentic character (read: super-cushy bedding, plenty of exposed beams, rustic wood floors, hippie-chic rugs and lots of natural light). The houses, which are rented from local families, come with chefs, guides and other staff who will attend to your care and feeding. All you have to do is relax and enjoy the scenery on a week of hiking, river rafting and exploring Tibetan Buddhist monasteries (from $5,250 per person for a seven-night package, shaktihimalaya.com).—Anna Maltby

Pull On '90s Nostalgia

F. Martin Ramin/The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas

Pull On '90s Nostalgia

If you've found yourself humming Nirvana lately, you aren't alone: The '90s are coming back—yes, again—faster than you can say, "As if." Before you hastily trade in your flannel suit for a flannel shirt, embrace the decade in a more subtle way with this Ami anorak. It might remind you of hours spent wandering through the mall in high school, but young French designer Alexandre Mattiussi's new take on the pullover—with a sharp green cotton gabardine shell and a lightweight mesh liner—is more Parisian sleek than suburban bland. Pair it with dark navy trousers for a smart and sporty look, or go a bit grungier and toss it on with worn-in denim. Hooded Half-Zipped Jacket, $415, eastdane.com

Love of My Life | The Coleman Cooler

Malika Favre

Love of My Life | The Coleman Cooler

For some, the playlist is an essential road trip companion. For others, it may be a lucky pair of sunglasses or an obscenely large cup of iced coffee. But for me, it's always been the classic Coleman cooler.

It became a mainstay on warm-weather road trips when I was young, an ever-present companion on many a Cub Scout outing, jaunt to the Jersey shore and longer drive. Once its contents were doled out to everyone when we pulled over for an impromptu pig-out, it doubled as a makeshift bench. In a way, the cooler represented a kind of security: If you filled one with cold drinks and sandwiches, you were prepared for the worst and ready to embrace whatever adventure lay ahead. It was amazing what a bologna sandwich and a cold juice box could do to break up a long morning in the back seat of a car pre-iPads, pre-Game Boys.

Perhaps mostly by habit, the big honkin' version of the cooler (or, occasionally, its smaller brother) has become my road companion as an adult. I've tried those soft, bag-like coolers that look more convenient, but they just don't deploy the same cooling power and take up practically as much space in the car. Plus you can't sit on them unless you're a ladybug. So I've happily stuck with the old Coleman for my refrigeration-on-the-go needs.

The reasons I've continued to make room for its steel massiveness are a little more varied and complex now, however. For one, it can save relationships. No more arguing about where to stop and dine. Prepare a great meal and snacks. Pack the cooler. When it comes time for lunch, all you need to do is find a nice place to park and picnic. Pulling into those ubiquitous roadside plazas to eat becomes a thing of the past. Which is good, because no one ever says they feel awesome after eating a Cinnabon.

Packing a cooler means being able to choose what you want to eat, when you want to eat it. That's one of the great underrated advantages of car travel over air travel. It also means being more adventurous, in general, foodwise. Driving 400 miles to your friends' country house and then presenting them with a growler of ice-cold beer from your local brewery or some fancy charcuterie and cheeses? That's impressive. It shows appreciation. Local foods beat vanilla candles as hostess gifts any day. For gourmet nerds, it also means being able to bring back anything requiring refrigeration from any farmer's market you pass on the way back home. Bacon, sausage, fish, eggs, homemade ice cream? No matter. Just make sure some of the ice cream makes it back home.

These Coleman coolers seem to last forever, but we don’t, so what gets packed into them naturally changes as we get older. Junkier foods like, say, Fudgsicles get replaced with quinoa and kale salads; regular old sodas give way to fancier ones with supposedly healthier ingredients like lemongrass or hibiscus, or, more often, just sparkling water. Of course, once you have kids, the baloney sandwiches and juice boxes appear once more. The Coleman cooler is a giant rectangle, but it’s also the place in which what we eat on the road comes full circle.
—Kevin Sintumuang